With an on-board cotton module builder or packager parameters such as, but not limited to, the distribution of cotton within the module building chamber, the number of packing positions, and the number of compacting strokes, are all critical factors in forming a good rectangular module of compacted cotton that can be unloaded onto the ground as a stand alone module of cotton, and subsequently handled for transportation to the gin for processing. As is known, the distribution of the cotton within the module chamber is typically accomplished using augers attached to a compactor frame of compactor apparatus movable upwardly and downwardly in the chamber. During the compacting cycle, the augers are operated in a forward and/or reverse direction for distributing the cotton under the compactor apparatus. The number of packing positions is used to index or move the location of the compactor apparatus up within the chamber as the module is built from the bottom up. This ensures that there is space under the compactor in which to distribute the cotton. The number of packing strokes is the number of times that the cotton is pressed downwardly and compacted and more packing strokes ensures a good tight, cohesive module of cotton. The length of time that the augers run in the different directions, the number of packing positions, and the number of compaction strokes before raising or indexing the compactor apparatus to the next position are typically dependent upon set values that have been written in the electronic compaction program and stored in the compactor controller. These values are based on time, pressure, or both and are dependent on the amount of cotton that is coming into the module chamber. Under what are considered to be high yield conditions, generally three or more bales per acre, the amount of time the augers run forward and the amount of time they run rearward is different than under what is considered to be low yield conditions, one bale per acre. The number of compactor positions and compacting strokes are different in high yield cotton versus low yield cotton.
Additionally, it would be desirable to have the capability of determining the level of the cotton in a module builder in the forward and rearward regions thereof, respectively, to enable better determining which rotational direction the augers should be operated in for more evenly distributing the cotton. Particularly under varying yield conditions, it may be desirable to determine the direction of auger rotation when operation of the augers is initiated.
Therefore, what is sought is a control for a cotton module building process which can vary various parameters thereof, including, but not limited to, the direction and duration of auger operation at a function of cotton levels in the module builder.